Portsmouth couple hits the road to watch their beloved Pats

Saturday

Oct 27, 2012 at 5:17 PM

LONDON — Mike and Jude Aufiero have a dilemma when it comes to their favorite football team, the New England Patriots.Whether they are staying at their home in Portsmouth, R.I., as they do for half the...

PAUL KENYON

LONDON — Mike and Jude Aufiero have a dilemma when it comes to their favorite football team, the New England Patriots.

Whether they are staying at their home in Portsmouth, R.I., as they do for half the year, or in Londonderry, N.H., where they are for the rest of the year, the couple do all they can to follow the Patriots. They are unabashed fans who put a lot of emotion into the team, especially Mrs. Aufiero.

“It bothers me for the rest of the week if they don’t win,” Jude Aufiero says.

When possible, the couple likes to see the Pats play in person. And that’s where the dilemma comes in. They are not big fans of going to Foxboro.

“I had season tickets in the 1970s,” Mike Aufiero said. “But it got so hard to get there. I gave them up because I didn’t like the crowds going there and the hassle getting into the stadium at that time. Now, we just go to away games because it’s easier than going to Gillette.”

In each of the last five years, the couple has seen the Pats play on the road, which explains why they were in Trafalgar Square Saturday afternoon taking part in a rally promoting NFL football in Europe, why they were at a Patriots pep rally Saturday evening and why they will be at Wembley Stadium Sunday rooting their team on against St. Louis.

“It’s our big vacation every year. We build it around a football game,” Mike Aufiero explained. This year it was going to be doubly fun because the plan was to make it a family trip. Mike’s brother Skip and his wife Norena, who live in Smithfield, were going to accompany them to England.

“They decided to go to Hawaii instead. Can you believe that?” Mike Aufiero said. He had this look on his face as he said it that made it hard to believe anyone would prefer going to Hawaii than to a Patriots game in London.

What makes it so much fun, the Aufieros said, is that football is simply the excuse to enjoy themselves. There is much more to it. The couple arranges the trip through one of three sports travel agencies they know, in this case New England Sports Travel.

“There are about 200 to 300 people who are part of the group,” Mike Aufiero said. “We stay at the same hotel. One of the things is that we wear Patriots gear everywhere we go. People come up to us and talk to us all the time. The last time we were here, people who live in England kept coming up to talk to us, tell us they used to live in the United States and things like that.”

The Aufieros had plenty of company Saturday, both at the afternoon NFL Fan Rally at Trafalgar Square and the evening party sponsored by the UK Patriots club. The rally almost could have been mistaken for a Patriots pep rally. Many in the crowd were wearing NFL gear with numerous teams represented. There were a good number of St. Louis jerseys. But there were many more, perhaps four or five times as many, wearing Patriots gear.

Team owner Robert Kraft has spoken about how he has been told the Patriots have the biggest fan backing in Europe. He did nothing to hurt either his or his team’s profile on Saturday.

“You are already hosting the Premier League, and we believe we’re the premier sport in the world,” Kraft said. “I think London has shown, with the way they’ve handled the Olympics and every other major sporting event, that it’s time for you to have your own NFL franchise based in London.”

The NFL is increasing its presence here. Starting next year, it will double its games here, with both Minnesota and Jacksonville playing “home” games in London. Kraft also was scheduled to take part in the UK Patriots fan club party Saturday night. The Aufieros were there, too. They have paid the club’s membership fee so they could get to attend the party the night before the game.

What makes this trip so good, the Aufieros say, is that the game does not end the trip. On Monday, their travel group will head to Ireland for three days.

“The last time we were in London we went to Paris after the game. We love it. It’s a great vacation,” Jude Aufiero said.

The couple also has made trips to San Francisco, Miami and Oakland. The Oakland trip was memorable because the people from the travel company suggested they not wear Patriots clothing. They did not, but they found that when they were in the stands for the game, they spoke with others around them and told them they were New England fans.

“They were nice. There were no problems at all,” Jude Aufiero said. “It was a good time.”

The fact that the Patriots won did not change the attitude of those around them. Everywhere they have gone, the Aufieros say, they have enjoyed themselves.